Family relationships can function as protective as well as risk factors in children's development. This study examines closeness, orientation, and power in families with affectively ill and well parents: separately, from the perspective of each of two siblings, as well as from a perspective formed in consensus among parents and children. The age range for the children is approximately 8 to 11 years for the younger and 11 to 15 years for the older sibling. Therefore, two periods of development are covered: late childhood and early adolescence. The children's competence and self- esteem are examined in relation to their perceptions of their family, their relationship to other family members, and differences between their perceptions and those of other family members of their status in the family.